What happened to Jeanne Clery was a tragedy.

But it inspired us to empower colleges and universities to create campuses that are safer for every student, every day.

Jeanne Clery was 19 years old when she was raped and murdered in her college dormitory. Her parents, Connie and Howard Clery, could not have known the danger she was in; standards for campus crime reporting simply did not exist in 1986.

So the Clerys put into motion transformative change on two important fronts.

On Capitol Hill, they lobbied for revolutionary policy changes that would eventually take form as the Jeanne Clery Act. Educators, families, and legislators could have an open dialogue about campus safety for the first time in our country’s history.

Connie and Howard also worked with allies and advocates to form a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that would seek to prevent the kind of violence that had taken Jeanne from them. Today that organization, Clery Center, remains dedicated to guiding institutions of higher education to implement effective campus safety measures.

The best education in the world is useless if a student
doesn’t survive with a healthy mind and body.

— Connie and Howard Clery

The colleges and universities we serve understand that a safe campus is critical to their institutions’ success. By creating a more transparent culture, they foster the trust of prospective families and ensure an environment that encourages students’ academic and emotional security.

Team
& Board

Campus safety is a profound personal commitment for every Clery Center board and staff member.